I was looking at the papers inserted in my book The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie O’Martian (I use it almost daily to pray for my daughter Andi) the other day. I saw two worn out papers I got from a Marriage Seminar I attended in church when JA and I were newly married. They were copies of prayer of blessings that were given to us. We were encouraged to speak blessings upon our spouses and our children. It has become a lifestyle to me and JA since then.
I decided to rewrite them to save them before I lose them or before they become impossible to read. I then realized how precious these were to me and how it is something that I want to share to others.
Just a few thoughts on this. First, I entitled this blog “A lifestyle of blessing” because that is the goal: to make it a lifestyle to bless our spouse, our kids and the people around us. The words we speak can bring life or death into the people we love or the situation we are facing, so I encourage you to make it a goal in your life. Ask God for grace to do it. And do it daily.
Secondly, the power comes not from the “prayer” but from the word of God. If you do not know what to pray for, just open your bible and confess and declare the Word to bless others.
Thirdly, from my experience, it is only when I am filled with God’s presence and God’s word that I can overflow and be a blessing to others.
Here are the prayers of blessings that I wanna share with you. I hope that you will bless your husband, your children, your family and others too, and that it will be a part of your daily lives as well.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
(Speak a personal blessing over the person.)
May your mouth speak with wisdom.
May your heart meditate with reverence the word of God.
May your hands do the work that God has given you.
May your feet hasten to follow the path that God has laid out for your life.
May the Lord’s full will for you be accomplished.
May the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge
and the fear of the Lord be upon you.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be upon you both now and forever. Amen.
A Blessing for your Husband
Blessed is _____ who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in his commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth.
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
A good man who deals graciously and lends wisely,
He will guide his activities with discretion.
Surely, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be remembered forever.
He will not be afraid of bad news, his heart is steadfast,
Trusting in the Lord.
His heart is established upon the Word of God, he will not be afraid.
He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever,
His horn will be exalted with honor.
I felt blessed just by reading this :)
I miss you Anna! And Andi too! :)
Posted by Liz | 16. Mar, 2011, 8:45 amI miss you too Liz! I am really excited everytime I read your updates :-) Enjoy the ride that God has in store for you this season! :-) Hope to see you soon. Hug from Andi.
Posted by Anna Moran | 28. Mar, 2011, 5:51 pm